History Uncle on Instagram: "Rome almost lost because of Carthage due to the systemic military and strategic shock inflicted during the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE). The Carthage, through the leadership of Hannibal Barca, challenged Rome not at its frontiers but at its core. Hannibal’s invasion of Italy bypassed Roman naval expectations, shattered multiple Roman field armies in rapid succession, and culminated in the catastrophic defeat at Cannae (216 BCE), where Rome lost a substantial portio